Chelsea are rivalling West Ham and Manchester United for the signing of highly-rated Stuttgart defender Antonio Rudiger.
The Hammers were linked with the €20m-rated German international centre-back earlier this summer, who was also being lined up by Roberto Mancini and Inter Milan, but no bid was placed.
The highly-rated 22-year-old is now also being looked at by Chelsea, who see him as a long-term partner for Kurt Zouma, who is also expected to see more game time this coming season.
Wolfsburg, Porto and Manchester United are al keeping tabs on the player also.
Chelsea are the first team to be reported to have made an offer for the player, with a £12.8m having been submitted this week for his services.
West Ham will have to act fast in order to sign the centre-back, having seen a move to sign AS Monaco defender Aymen Abdennour crash and burn over the weekend, with the Tunisian only interested in a move to a top club.
